Daniel Richardson
Central Michigan University Chippewas By Ron Sanzone The Chippewas of Central Michigan finished 8-4 this season en route to a second-place finish in the MidAmerican Conference’s Western Division. The team finished 6-2 in conference play and arrives in Tucson on a four-game winning streak. In his third season at Central Michigan, head coach Jim McElwain guided the team to several key victories in conference play. The Chippewas defeated Toledo 26-23 in overtime on October 16, Western Michigan 42-30 on November 3, and MAC Eastern Division champion Kent State 54-30 on November 10. McElwain served as head coach at Florida before taking over at Central Michigan in 2019. He has gone 19-13 during his tenure at the school and only missed out on a bowl game during last year’s pandemic-shortened season. Central Michigan’s offense made life miserable for opposing defenses throughout the season. The unit finished second in the MAC and 20th in the nation by piling up 464 yards per game. After splitting time with Washington transfer Jacob Sirmon during the first month of the season, redshirt freshman
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2021 COLLEGE BOWL GUIDE
quarterback Daniel Richardson took control of the starting role during a 31-27 win against Florida International on September 25. He remained the team’s starter the rest of the season and threw for 2,424 yards and 23 touchdowns. Before the season, running backs Kobe Lewis and Lewis Nichols III were expected to split carries. When Lewis suffered an unfortunate knee injury in August that ended his season before it began, Nichols was propelled into a role as the team’s feature back. He seized that opportunity emphatically by leading not just the MAC but the entire nation in rushing with 1,710 yards. The 2021 MAC Offensive Player of the Year scored 15 touchdowns on the ground and another two through the air. If Richardson and Nichols were not enough to cause opposing defensive coordinators headaches, wide receiver Kalil Pimpleton and offensive linemen Bernhard Reiman and Luke Goedeke were First Team All-MAC performers. Pimpleton was also named the conference’s special teams’ player of the year after averaging more than 20 yards per punt return and bringing back two of them for touchdowns. Central Michigan’s defense did not produce the same eye-popping stats
as the offense, but, for the most part, it played well enough this year to keep the team in games. It finished third in the conference in scoring defense, allowing opponents 26.2 points per game. Senior defensive lineman Troy Hairston II and junior linebacker Troy Brown were each named First Team All-MAC. Hairston racked up 50 tackles (26 solo) and six and half sacks on the year. Brown had 54 tackles, an interception and a fumble recovery.
Season at a Glance Central Michig an Chippewas (8-4 )
Sept. 4 @ Missouri L 34-24 Sept. 11 vs. Robert Morris W 45-0 Sept. 18 @ LSU L 49-21 Sept. 25 vs. FIU W 31-27 Oct. 2 @ Miami OH L 28-17 Oct. 9 @ Ohio W 30-27 Oct. 16 vs. Toledo W 26-23 Oct. 23 vs. Northern IL L 39-38 Nov. 3 @ Western M IW 42-30 Nov. 10 vs. Kent State W 54-30 Nov. 17 @ Ball State W 37-17 Nov. 26 vs. Eastern MI W 31-10
